Tenant representation
Find and secure retail space that fits how you trade
For retailers, restaurateurs, clinics, studios and service businesses opening, expanding or relocating anywhere in Toronto and the GTA.
Why retail tenants use their own representation
In most retail leasing, the listing agent represents the landlord. Their job is to achieve the owner's objectives. A tenant representative works for you: understanding your business model, widening your search beyond the units you can find on your own, and negotiating the clauses that matter long after opening day.
Retail leases are long, detailed documents. Small differences in how use, exclusivity, operating costs or assignment are drafted can affect what you can sell, whether a competitor can open next door, and whether you can sell the business later.
The process
- 01
Requirement & trade-area brief
We start with how your business trades: who your customer is, how they arrive (on foot, transit or by car), the frontage and ceiling height you need, power and plumbing requirements, and the neighbours that help or hurt you.
- 02
Market survey & shortlist
Available street-front, plaza, centre and mixed-use units are screened against your brief, including use restrictions, existing exclusives held by other tenants, and building limitations, before you spend time touring.
- 03
Tours & feasibility
On site we look at visibility, signage opportunities, loading, parking, washrooms, HVAC and, for food users, venting routes and grease interceptor feasibility. Where needed, your contractor or designer joins early.
- 04
Offer to lease
Offers are compared on total occupancy cost, not headline rent: additional rent, landlord's work vs. tenant's work, free-rent or fixturing periods, and term and renewal options are laid side by side.
- 05
Negotiation
Key clauses are negotiated on your behalf: permitted use, exclusivity, co-tenancy, signage, assignment and subletting, relocation and demolition clauses, personal guarantees and conditions for financing or permits.
- 06
Lease review & handover
Your lawyer reviews the formal lease before signing. We stay involved through conditions, possession, fixturing and opening so commitments in the offer carry through to the document.
Restaurant and food-service tenants
Food users carry the most site-specific risk. Before committing, confirm that zoning permits restaurant use, that exhaust can be routed to code, that a grease interceptor can be installed, and that gas and electrical service are adequate. Municipal business licensing and public-health inspection apply in each GTA municipality, and requirements differ, so build permit and licensing timelines into your conditions and fixturing period.
Learn the language of retail leases on our space types & lease structures guide, or read the retail leasing FAQ.
Searching for retail space? Start with a brief.
A no-obligation conversation about your space, timing and priorities, whether you're opening a location or filling a vacancy. Text or call anytime, or send a request.
Meshesha Robel, REALTOR® · Sutton Group Admiral Realty, Brokerage